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Colts Jupiter with recently weaned Domino.

Ruby with her newborn foal Zippy.

Zippy with Emily Holden at Shingle Hollow Farm.

Young Avenue of The Stars in HERD.

Jupiter born in HERD at Shingle Hollow Farm.

Yearling Mia sporting a hat.

This sultry summer is a tipping point for us. For the first time since Helping Equines Regain Dignity (HERD) was founded in 2015, we have more colts than fillies in our rescue. To clarify, a male horse under the age of four is referred to as a colt, while a female horse under the age of four is a filly. In our circumstance, the colts have all been transformed into geldings under my direct supervision.

Why so many colts? Well, it is because we have focused our rescue efforts on saving multiple pregnant mares who landed in dangerous situations. They would have perished if we had not intervened. HERD also intercepted four mares, nursing newborn foals, who were in peril of being separated from one another. The offspring ratio of colts delivered by these mares surpassed the fillies two to one.   

When you tally up the young colts here, there are six: Avenue of The Stars, Midas, Jupiter, Domino, Clayton, and Sloan. The lineup of HERD fillies on the ranch includes yearling Mia, two-year-old Sonnet, and three-year-old Bambi. The colt power is real, with twice as many hooves on the ground for competitive rivalry and shenanigans. They truly are the boys of summer 2024.

The mischievous colts require a lot more effort than the docile fillies. HERD volunteers Bill McClelland and Scott Homstead are in the boys’ pastures almost daily, repairing fence lines and automatic water tank fillers. Those naughty colts habitually tear up the electric rope wire that tops the fences. They also delight in disconnecting the hoses that ensure their water tanks are refilled on demand. My mistress, Heather Freeman, makes frequent trips to town to buy new fence toppers for restringing the electrical rope that supposedly keeps the horses away from the fences.    

The young boisterous lads gallop around their pastures in dueling competition with one another. Their nostrils flaring, the colts delightfully kick their heels high in the air before their morning feedings. They rear in dramatic play fights, sparring for dominance of their pasture. Expending this energy leads to healthy appetites. Then they settle down and take long naps side-by-side in the midday sun. What a glorious life for a young colt growing up in HERD. 

By contrast, the fillies are a much quieter group. They are dainty and polite with each other for the most part. They may indulge in an occasional gallop lap or two around the field together when the urge strikes them. However, for the most part, the girls graze and socialize. When they interact, they groom one another gently. The comparison of colts versus fillies recalls a nursery rhyme from the 19th century. 

“What are little boys made of? Snips, snails. And puppy-dogs’ tails. That’s what little boys are made of. What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice. And everything nice. That’s what little girls are made of.” 

Another foal has recently entered the HERD fold. The highly anticipated Zippy has arrived. This brings the tally up to a total of seven colts. However, Zippy is living at Shingle Hollow Farm in Rutherfordton, NC. His mother, Ruby, was one of the pregnant rescue mares we saved last winter at the kill pen’s final call before she loaded to ship to Mexico. 

Ruby, a six-year-old Haflinger cross mare, is gentle, affectionate, and well-trained. How she ended up destined for slaughter is a mystery to us. Ruby held on to Zippy for 12 months in her expanded womb. She was as wide as she was tall in the final month of carrying her foal. The average gestation length in the mare ranges from 320 to 362 days; most mares will foal within 330 to 345 days of breeding. However, mares have successfully foaled with gestation lengths outside this range. Our vet informed us that he had seen a few mares carry their foals for 365 days and there was no cause for alarm. 

When Zippy finally made his grand entrance, his guardian, Kailey Greene, was at a horseshow competing on HERD horse, Maritime. Her sister Emily Holden was also at the event, performing dressage tests with HERD horse, Godiva. It was Kailey’s mother who discovered Zippy in the pasture with Ruby. He had a most unusual midday birth. Most foals are born late at night or early morning when life on the farm is still and quiet. Mares prefer privacy at foaling time. If possible, mares will delay birth until human observers are not around. One study indicated that approximately 80 percent of foals are born between midnight and 6 a.m.  

Zippy is a large healthy bay colt who is exceedingly sweet towards humans. Soon he and his mother will move to foster care at a lovely farm owned by Kathleen Foster. Kathleen has adopted two HERD horses and fostered two young mares for us. Once Zippy can be weaned from his mother, at the age of six months, Ruby will return to a riding career to find a safe home. Zippy will relocate to our ranch to join others his age, including Deco’s awaited foal.  

We wait patiently for the pregnant senior pinto mare, Deco, to deliver her new foal. She appears to be holding on for a 365-day gestation period as well. We weaned her son Domino in the late spring. He merrily frolics with Jupiter in a pasture adjacent to his mother. Deco keeps an eye on him, but soon she will devote her attention to her newly born offspring. 

Will it be a filly or a colt? Only time will tell; the baby will most likely be born while we sleep soundly. I am betting Deco’s foal will be a colt based on the odds we have experienced lately in HERD.  

One thing is for certain. The new young life who joins us will enjoy the gifts of time and loving care, to grow up here in safety. Feel free to ask our playful boys of summer, who call this ranch home.  

More Life in Our Foothills Magazine

Life in our Foothills September 2024 – Favorites of the Foothills 2024 – Reader’s Choice Awards

Life in our Foothills September 2024 – Clay, Culture, & Connection – The Artistic Journey of Mark Allen O’Neil

Life in our Foothills September 2024 – Eyes in the Sky for Lost Pets – Project Reunite

Life in our Foothills September 2024- The Reunion